Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant – Esquire Chicago

THE FLAGSHIP OF WINE Congrats Cooper’s Hawk on expanding your wine empire to downtown Chicago. This is the first location in the city and it’s in the old Esquire movie theater on Oak Street. Ironically the last time we were in this space we watched the film, “Sideways” which is centered around wine, as well as other things. So it’s fitting that Cooper’s Hawk is all about the wine! This theater will always have a special place in my heart and I’m looking forward to Cooper’s Hawk carrying on these local traditions. The space is really beautiful. When you first walk in, you’ll notice a wall of wine that tells the history of wine including Noah. I had no idea the ark had a wine bar! It’s a fun read, so don’t miss it. I also love the old marque letters from the “Esquire” sign along the wall of the entrance. The space is just amazing. It’s truly hard to take all of it in because it’s so stunning. The best part about this new location is that they will also serve wines other then the Cooper’s Hawk brand. That’s a smart move because we are in the Gold Coast and people here love their wine. You have to offer Chicago diners a wide variety to choose from. I love the tasting room. Cooper’s Hawk offers this unique opportunity for locals to get the Napa Valley experience. I’ve always found this to be a plus for Cooper’s Hawk locations. The best part is the four story wine cellar with the spiral staircase in the middle. I will admit they let me walk to the top. I was able to get a little cardio workout, while enjoying a glass of red wine. Not only is Cooper’s Hawk amazing for wine but their food is phenomenal. For example, when you go to a brewery their beer is delicious and the food is just okay. The food at Cooper’s Hawk can actually stand on its own even without the phenomenal wine. This new location has the usual favorites on the menu but they have also added 5 new dishes that are exclusive to the downtown location. We tried two of the new entrees and we were blown away. We enjoyed the miso glazed Chilean sea bass. The fish was simply incredible. It was cooked perfectly and the glaze complimented the fish. The sides of roasted maitake mushrooms & broccolini in soy lemon butter truly stood out on their own. In fact the mushrooms are so good, you can actually order them as a side dish. The other new signature dish exclusive to downtown was the 25oz prime rib bone-in ribeye. This dish would make Fred Flintstone jealous. The sides are really good. The steak comes with locally grown blistered cherry tomatoes, roasted potatoes and roasted butternut squash & spinach gratin! Please tell me any other steak restaurant in downtown Chicago that actually serves sides with their steak. None! Cooper’s Hawk you are leading a revolution. All of the food is amazing. If you’re new to Cooper’s Hawk, I highly recommend the scallop and shrimp risotto as well as the gnocchi carbonara. These two dishes have always been a favorite of mine and are available at all of the Cooper’s Hawk locations. No night is complete at Cooper’s Hawk without dessert. I highly recommend the delicious chocolate cake. This magical cake just melts in my mouth and pairs perfectly with a Bin 61 – Nightjar. There’s no better way to end an evening here then with sweets. Welcome to downtown Cooper’s Hawk. I couldn’t imagine a better flagship location anywhere. You were born in Illinois and this is your moment. With 39 locations in 10 states, you deserve this amazing location. I’m looking forward to many more years here and enjoying your fantastic food and wine.

Man, I wish my phone was working when I visited this new location of Cooper’s Hawk as I would have taken plenty of pictures. The interior was BEAUTIFUL. I was downtown for a Christmas party and came to this city early to just hang out and wander. You walk into the lower level where you can take an elevator or escalators up and see all the different wine accoutrement on display. We sat in the bar area and just hung out admiring the great atmosphere inside. The menu is practically identical to their other locations with just a few more upscale options available. We ordered the usual egg roll appetizer and enjoyed a nice Bin 61 Sour. Service was great. We then wandered around and saw the huge multi-story wine tower and walked around the tasting area. This definitely an awesome location and if you like wine and especially great food, just come here and hang out. If you’re a member of Cooper’s Hawk then even better.

Really nice service. It gets crowded on weekends so beware. We did two wine tastings and the selection is incredible. Their lux chocolate wine is definitely amazing. I enjoyed all of their white wines as well. 8 dollars for normal tasting and 13 for lux. It was a steal. Would definitely come again.

Very nice restaurant which spans three floors. We dined at Cooper’s Hawk on a Saturday night in February and it was packed. We were able to snag a 7:15pm reservation. My friends and I were seated on the top floor which is where the bubbles (champagne) bar is located. Note that the restrooms are only on the second level. We had a wonderful meal. All the dishes were consistently good: crab and lobster bisque, filet mignon with Mary’s potatoes (our waitress steered me away from Betty’s potatoes as Mary’s potatoes were made with garlic butter and more creamy), crab cakes (very generous sized crab meat pieces). The service was pretty good, but I could tell that they were slammed on that Saturday night so there were long waits to take our order, drinks, food, etc. But overall, wonderful food and very nice ambience at this newly opened Cooper’s Hawk.

Great space, fun ambiance, really enjoyed the wine and excellent hospitality Awesome service from David H and Berdan at the top floor bar Favorite dishes/drinks: Old Vine Zin, Bin 61 sour

I’ve been to 50 Cooper’s hawks in the suburbs , but I can’t believe the quality of the one downtown. Marissa was unbelievable . Truly such a kind waitress who dealt with a few dietary restrictions/order changes that were out of her control . She was so thoughtful and so attentive and we left wishing we should be our waitress again! The brussel sprout appetizer is huge and sooooo good. I woke up craving it. Our group got ahi tuna tacos, pasta , and ahi tuna with wasabi mashed potatoes and none of it disappointed. The downtown location is amazing . The decor is much more upscale than the suburb locations and I would say it’s a bit dressier. Highly recommend!

Pre-shutdown – we were able to try Cooper’s Hawk. We’ve been to the restaurant in the ‘burbs before and I’m not sure why we held off on the city one b/c it was a great experience. The space is beautiful inside and there are so many different rooms that you can eat in that I think that when they are able to re-open, they’ll be ready for social distancing and eating. It’s one of a few restaurants where you weren’t on top of each other and you can hear your companion speak! Our server – Amy Z was wonderful. So attentive – so friendly! I think steak restaurants hire the most wonderful staff and Cooper’s is no exception. Obviously – we got wine! I did one of their February wine flights and my husband did the Pinot Noir. We thought our wines were really good. I would come here just for that with some friends. We started with the Mexican Shrimp – Apparently, it was “drunken” with Bacon-Wrapped, Tequila Lime Butter Sauce, and Fresh Guacamole. Who doesn’t love bacon and tequila and guac? It was wonderful and every last morsel was soaked up! My husband had the churrasco Steak and I had the Life Balance Medallions. The Churrasco came with chimichurri sauce and dipping the fries in? Yum! My dish came with Ancho Chili, Garlic, Tomato-Braised Kale, Yukon Gold Potatoes, and Tomatoes. I liked it – just wish there was more chili in it. If your’e going for something lighter, this was quite good. Was it as scrumptious as a few of my husband’s fries dipped in chimichurri sauce – no, of course not, but for a lighter calorie and fat option, it was tasty and I would recommend it. Soooo – since I went healthier on my dinner – I felt I deserved the Ice Cream cookie! Right? Warm Chocolate Chip Cookie Baked with Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and Vanilla Ice Cream. Heck Yeah! It’s as good as it sounds and I recommend it! Cooper’s sets itself apart from other steakhouses not just b/c it has great wine, but because the menu has so many options for everyone. From steak to salads to pastas to seafood to lighter options. I loved the variety and I can’t wait to head back in this summer!

This typical suburb restaurant is anything but typical in the old Esquire theater. A surprising addition to the Gold Coast, known for wine flights and wine clubs, this place hit it out of the park.Not only was I impressed by the space, but the food was also more delicious then I remembered. The main focus of this space is the 3 story temperature controlled wine tower. In the heart of the restaurant, it’s hard to not be mesmerized by the hundreds of bottles of wine it contains. The main bar is also a view with the dark decor and barrel lights, really giving the restaurant an upscale vibe. We got a bunch of apps – some of my favs were the pork belly tostadas, veggie & goat cheese flat bread, and candied bacon. Also had the gnocchi carbonara for our meal. Everything was full of flavor and tasted so fresh. Not your typical chain restaurant which was a pleasant surprise

Over a week since our visit and I’m still raving about this CH and experience! Everything here is absolutely amazing! Amy our waitress was incredible as was everyone we had interactions with! The restaurant is gorgeous, tasting room is large and for being insanely busy the staff is exceptionally attentive! Food and wine were wonderful! I would give our visit 10 stars if I could! Our table of 4 shared meatballs, Thai chicken lettuce wraps, deviled egg spread, tuna avocado plate the brussel sprouts. Egg appetizer was a crowd favorite next being brussel sprouts. I ordered the short rib risotto (absolutely fabulous) and partner ordered the crispy pork (REALLY GOOD). We ended with the chocolate cake (OMG) and creme brulee (heaven). Our table shared bottles of the cab lux and tempranillo wine along with a glass of lux meritage. All were enjoyed! Amys timing and amazing personality truly made our night! We are planning another visit soon! What a cool restaurant experience…love having a CH in the city now!

Attractive and spacious dinning area. Wonderful service – we made them aware that this is a work lunch so they were cognizant of the time. They were quite attentive and checked on us periodically. All four of us enjoyed the food. We all ordered from the lunch menu. I ordered the steak medallions from the life balance options where dishes are supposed to be 600 calories or less. It was a great choice. the steak was grilled to perfection and accompanying kale and tomatoes in the broth was very tantalizing. My colleagues had the shaved brussels sprouts salad, Mediterranean shrimp salad which the waitress recommended, and the signature breaded chicken with gardinara. It’s rare to have a nice sit down meal that is also health conscious. Truly appreciated the wide variety of healthy menu options. Everything went impeccably and we all felt like this was a five-star experience for work lunch. I can’t wait to come back and try more of the dishes and indulge in the wine.